The Journey Back Home: Littlefoot's Troubles
by Corration
Summary: It takes place during Ali's stay after the events of "The Journey Back Home". Feeling the he might lose his respect, Littlefoot assigns himself a test to deliver a baby back to its herd so he could keep his voice in the council.
1. Chapter 1

"He's still a kid though."

"But he has matured so much."

"But we still need him to be supervised."

Mr. Threehorn and the others were discussing what to do with Littlefoot. They had gathered in the circular rock formation with an arc that symbolized a door to consult about the matter. Though he was the voice of reason, Mr. Threehorn couldn't stand the idea of Littlefoot being a leader. Though he was smart to all corners of the world, he was prone to make the mistakes of an adolescent.

It had been days since Yasmine and Rex left with Bron and his herd. It was about ten days before it that Littlefoot took his grandparents' place. When the elders saw that Littlefoot took some charge of what was best for the herds, they were astonished by how young he was. Some longnecks taunted the others by asking why one of the leaders was so young. Mr. Threehorn got fed up and called a meeting without Littlefoot.

"We appear to be the laughingstock of this world. The longnecks thought so."

"But Littlefoot is a good leader," pointed out Mr. Thicknose, a wise threehorn that had the privilege of seeing Littlefoot's fast and intelligent thinking. "I owe it to him for saving my life."

"Though he is good, I agree with Mr. Threehorn," said a spiketail. "If our leader seems puny, no one will take us seriously as a herd."

"Alright. Those in favor of a supervisor for Littlefoot say I."

"I," said a majority of the dinosaurs.

"All who oppose."

"Nah," said five dinosaurs.

"That settles it. We need to find a caretaker for Littlefoot."

"But he has his father," said Ducky's Mother.

"That's true. What was his name again? Bron? Well, when he comes here, we'll explain the situation."

"But he hasn't shown up for the past year," pointed out Pterano, Petrie's uncle that was once banished from the herd.

"True. We'll wait for five more bright circles. If he doesn't show, then we need a supervisor for Littlefoot."

* * *

><p>Littlefoot woke up as the sun began to climb into the sky. He looked over at Ali and smiled. She was still resting. He decided to gather some food and bring it to her. He walked away from the nest and tried to find some treestars that he could reach. As he searched, he saw Mr. Thicknose and greeted him.<p>

"Good morning. You're up early than usual."

"I decided to feast before everyone else got the good stuff," lied Mr. Thicknose.

"Oh. Well, I'm off to find food. Talk to you later."

"Bye Littlefoot."

Littlefoot continued his search and bonked into Ducky's mother. The green grayish Parasaurolophus looked at the longneck and said hi.

"It's quite early that you're awake, Littlefoot."

"Yeah. I'm just getting some food."

"Alright then. I must be going too. Bye."

Ducky's mother walked off. Littlefoot thought why she was awake but shrugged it off. He continued his walk. He eventually found the tree she liked. He leaned against it and reached for the leaves. He pulled down several for him and for her. He piled them up using his tail and swept them back to the nest. Along the way, he met Mr. Threehorn.

"You're awake also, Mr. Threehorn?"

"Couldn't sleep," he laughed. "I see you getting some food."

"Yeah."

"Well, I need to go get some too. I'll talk to you later."

He walked off. Littlefoot looked around him and saw that most of the adults were awake. He called back to Mr. Threehorn.

"Did you have a meeting?"

"A meeting? No."

"Are you sure?"

"Are you accusing me as a fibber?"

"N…No. I was just wondering."

"Littlefoot, we would tell you if we had one."

Littlefoot thought about it and agreed to show respect.

"Sorry."

"Alright. See ya."

He went out of Littlefoot's view. The adolescent Apatosaurus went back to sweeping the leaves. He made it back to the nest to see that Ali was just barely walking up. She smiled.

"Good morning," she chuckled.

"Morning. I got some breakfast for us."

Ali walked over and rubbed Littlefoot's cheek.

"Thank you."

Littlefoot said nothing. Ali sensed something was wrong and asked.

"It was weird. The adults were all awake earlier than usual. I think they had a meeting without me."

"You know that they will always get you. Remember when you overslept that one time, and Mama Swimmer woke you up before the meeting started."

"I remember. That was the night we were telling the young ones about our adventure."

"They won't turn their backs on you."

"I guess you're right."

Ali took the first bite of the big pile. Littlefoot took a bite after her, still having second thoughts.

* * *

><p>Dusk had come. Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie, Ali, and Spike were sitting in a grassy clearing, talking about how they would fend off a sharptooth when they got bigger. Cera brought the topic up.<p>

"I would thrash it around," said Cera proudly. "It wouldn't stand a chance."

"Me would distract it and lead it off a cliff," said Petrie. "That way me no get hurt."

"I don't think I would be able to protect myself," said Ducky. "I would need to throw stuff at it."

Spike got up and whipped his tail around and nodded. He sat back down.

"I would use my tail as an advantage," said Littlefoot. "Remember when Doc and my grandpa used their tails to break the tower of rocks to crush the two sharpteeth? That's why my tail would be my advantage."

"Same here," said Ali, "but I could also use my head to ram it."

"Cera," echoed Cera's father's voice.

"Petrie," called out Petrie's Mother.

"Ducky, Spike," called Mama Swimmer.

"We need to go," said Cera. "We'll see you tomorrow."

Everyone said their byes and left. Littlefoot lowered his neck.

"Littlefoot?"

"I missed my grandparents calling for me."

"It'll be alright. Let's get some sleep."

The two longnecks walked back to the nest. Littlefoot stopped when he thought he heard something.

"You hear that?"

A bush shook a little. Littlefoot approached it and looked behind it. Ali saw the creature too and smiled. She walked up to it. The dinosaur walked up to Ali and smiled. He rubbed against her leg.

"It's a baby longneck," stated Littlefoot.

"It's all alone. I guess we have to take care of it in the meantime."

"We?"

Ali's cold stare frightened Littlefoot.

"Of course," he complied.

Ali picked up the tiny longneck and put it on Littlefoot's back. The baby looked at Littlefoot's head and smiled. She curled up and went to sleep.

"Where do you think she came from?"" asked Ali.

"I don't know, but I think she just hatched."

Littlefoot nodded his head towards a broken egg. It rested against a tree trunk and was covered by big leaves.

"She's so young then. She needs a mama."

Ali nudged the baby longneck softly. The longnecks started walking back to their nest.

"She needs a name," stated Littlefoot.

"Okay. I'll name her Kristy."

"Um, Ali, do you know how to take care of a baby?"

"Of course. I'll be a good mom."

"But we need to send Kristy back to her mother. She might be worried."

"I haven't met a mother who forgot about one of her eggs."

"Maybe she thought an egg stealer ate it."

Ali lowered her neck.

"I guess."

"Don't worry. We just need to think who the last herd here was."

"How about that herd of longnecks that left two days ago? It might be their baby."

"Yeah, but let's ask around tomorrow."

Ali yawned. They made it back to the nest. They laid down and closed their eyes to rest. Ali had her head rested on Littlefoot's shoulder, and the baby remained asleep on Littlefoot's back. Littlefoot sleepily opened his eyes for a moment and smiled. Images of his family came into thought. He rested his eyes and finally dozed off.

* * *

><p>Littlefoot and Ali woke up to Kristy's crying. Littlefoot lazily picked up the baby and set Kristy on the floor. She got up on her feet, but she quickly fell down. Ali walked over to her side as Littlefoot yawned loudly.<p>

"She needs to learn how to walk," said Ali.

"You teach her while I find some food. She's crying because of that."

"But Littlefoot, I want you to see her take her first steps."

Littlefoot groaned softly and looked at Kristy as she struggled to stay up. Much to Littlefoot's disappointment, Kristy finally stood up after the sixth time of falling. She quickly learned how to walk afterwards by practically running towards Littlefoot. She tripped and fell on Littlefoot's leg. He helped her up by pushing her with his head. Kristy laughed and licked Littlefoot's forehead. A grin appeared on his face. Ali watched them contently.

"I think she likes you," said Ali. "You do look like her dad."

"Yeah, but we need to get her to her mother. I don't want her to get too attached."

The baby laughed.

"I think it's too late for that," she smiled.

"Well, I'll see to it that she is reunited with her parents. I'm going to get food."

Littlefoot walked off. Ali sighed and looked down at Kristy. Kristy stretched her neck out, yearning for Littlefoot. Ali lowered her head to rub Kristy's head. Kristy looked up at Ali and beamed. She walked to Ali's foot and rested against it. Ali sat down and exhaled sadly.

"He'll be back Kristy," she reassured the baby.

Why does he not want her? I've always know him as accepting, but why not towards her?

In the distance, a herd was approaching the Great Valley. They had been wondering for days after the devastating earthquake. Their leader suggested they head towards the Great Valley, which was the closet haven. He was thrilled to be heading in that direction. He just hoped his remaining family was alright.


	2. Chapter 2

As Littlefoot collected food, he began to think about the events that happened. The adults were questioning his leadership, and a baby was brought into his life that wasn't his. Soon, the leaders would kick him out, and he would be placed under supervision, hopefully not by Mr. Threehorn. Plus, now he had a baby to look after. It wasn't his fault, but stress was piling up.

He finished gathering food and swept it towards the nest. As he headed back, he couldn't help but wonder why they questioned his leadership. Was it because Ali's herd was astonished by his age and mocked the adults? They did place him high above the adults, which is an embarrassment to herds everywhere. If you put full reliance on a kid, why would you be considered an adult? It should be the other way around.

Petrie spotted Littlefoot from high above the ground and flew down towards him. He landed in front of him.

"Hello Littlefoot."

"Hey Petrie."

Petrie noticed the sad tone.

"Why you down?"

"Petrie, do you think I should be leading the adults?"

"Littlefoot, you good leader. The grownups should be happy."

"I don't think they are. The longnecks mocked them, and I think they want to not welcome me into the council."

"Well, why don't you show you should be in?"

"Like a test?" he wondered happily. "That's a great idea. I can show them that I am ready."

"Littlefoot, me got question. Who's the tiny longneck with Ali?"

"That's the baby we found."

"A baby? Oh, she looks like you."

Petrie chuckled, "I thought it yours."

Littlefoot blushed.

"Well, I have to go."

Littlefoot started to once again sweep the pile of leaves towards the nest.

"Alright. See ya."

Petrie took to the skies.

A test, thought Littlefoot. Why didn't I think of that? That way I can show the adults my leadership, and they won't kick me out.

Littlefoot returned back to the nest. Kristy ran up to Littlefoot by hopping and rubbed his leg. Ali walked up to Littlefoot.

"She's been waiting for you."

"Ali, I don't want her to get too attached to us."

"Just rub her."

Littlefoot obeyed and rubbed Kristy gently. He lifted his head up and picked a leaf at the top of the pile. He gave it to Kristy, and she bit into it.

"Ali, remembered how I said that the adults plan to kick me out of the council? Well, I think I have a plan."

Ali swallowed the leaves in her mouth.

"Plan? What kind of plan?"

"Well, if I show them that we can get Kristy back with her herd, then not only will everyone here think of me as a great leader, but the herd that Kristy belongs to will also see why I was chosen a leader in the Great Valley."

"What? Are you crazy? Why don't we just wait?"

"But Ali, she needs her real mom. I was fortunate to be raised by my mom before she died. It's because of her I am who I am. Besides, we are still growing. We haven't learned everything there is need to know about being safe. A parent will teach her that."

"I don't know. It's too dangerous."

"I'll talk to the council about it. I'm sure they won't think it is."

* * *

><p>"Are you crazy?" asked Mr. Threehorn angrily.<p>

Littlefoot had called a meeting and explained that Kristy needed to return to her herd. The wind blew a chilly wind that was quite usual when the meeting started. The dinosaurs were afraid that the rock arch would collapse, but Littlefoot knew it would hold.

"Well, it just that she needs to be with her father and mother."

Kristy walked from Ali to Littlefoot and hid behind his front legs.

"It's too dangerous," said Mama Swimmer.

"Well, I need to prove myself that I am ready to be the voice of the herd. I assumed that you were going to not welcome me into the council, because I'm too young."

The dinosaurs looked at each other and then turned back to Littlefoot.

"Well… You see…" started Mr. Thicknose.

"No kid should be the voice of us," said Mr. Threehorn. "We were foolish to listen to you. You're just a kid and will cause the mistakes all kids make. We're older and wiser, because we've been here longer."

"It's because the longnecks mocked you for listening to me."

Mr. Threehorn grunted.

"Besides," continued Littlefoot. "It will prove to the other dinosaurs that I desire to be a leader and why you chose me."

"I see no problem with that," Mr. Thicknose said. "This will show the other dinosaurs why you were chosen after your grandparents' passing."

Everyone except Mr. Threehorn agreed. They all awaited Mr. Threehorn's answer.

"Very well, but I do not want Cera involved. In order to fully prove yourself, you may only take longnecks."

Ali gulped. She was more worried about Kristy safety. She walked up to Littlefoot.

"Alright," roared Mr. Threehorn. "Meeting dismissed."

As the dinosaurs went to enjoy the rest of the day, Ali pressed her head against Littlefoot. He looked at her.

"What?"

"Why do you always put your life in danger? Now, you're also putting Kristy's life in danger."

"But she needs to go back Ali. We can't take care of her like her mother would. I will make sure she makes it back. I will protect her."

"But I thought you didn't like her?"

"Who said that?"

"Well, you seemed kind of unacceptable of her. I sensed that you found her to be annoying."

"It's just that I was under a lot of stress. I made it seem like that, but I feel better now."

He lowered his neck to look at Kristy under him.

"Do you want to see your mama?"

Kristy smiled and opened her mouth, nodding.

"She understands?"

"Sure she does," Littlefoot said quickly.

"You're just saying that."

"Believe what you want, Ali, but I'm returning her to her mama tomorrow."

"Okay. Then I'm coming with you. You can't do both."

"Both?"

"Find the herd and protect her. I'll do the protecting part. A mother's protection is greater than a father's. C'mon, Kristy."

Kristy and Ali walked back to the nest. Littlefoot stood there as he soaked in what Ali said.

"Wait. What do you mean a mother's protection is greater? Are you implying that I won't protect her?"

"Believe what you want," echoed Ali's voice.

Littlefoot grunted and ran to catch up with them.

* * *

><p>At the first break of dawn, Mr. Threehorn met Littlefoot to establish the final rules of this dangerous test. The sky was calm, and the residents of the valley slept peacefully, unaware that the two adolescent longnecks were about to leave for their quest.<p>

"Alright, Littlefoot. You basically need to return the baby to the longnecks who you believe the baby is from."

"Her name is Kristy," pointed out Ali.

Mr. Threehorn paused for a second before continuing.

"I think you're best bet is finding the last herd here. I believe they were nesting here before they left."

"Right."

"You have until when the leaves change colors."

Judging by the weather, Littlefoot estimated he had many days until that day.

"If you fail, you will be not welcomed into the council and will be under the supervision of Mr. Grub."

"Not him."

Mr. Grub was one of the four remaining longnecks in the Great Valley. He had come to the Great Valley after surviving a volcanic eruption and almost getting eaten. He was the grouchiest longneck Littlefoot ever met. Littlefoot was surprised that Mr. Grub agreed to supervise him, because he envied Littlefoot.

"That's the deal, like it or not."

"Okay. If I do pass the test, I want full rights of an adult and remain the voice of the council."

"Agreed."

Littlefoot nodded and excused himself. With Kristy on his back and Ali walking beside him, he left the Great Valley once again.

* * *

><p>Cera, Petrie, Ducky, and Spike searched for the adolescent longnecks after breakfast. None could find him.<p>

"Where do you think they are?" said Cera.

"Yeah, I want to see the baby," said Ducky.

"Maybe they hiding," Petrie brought up.

"If that's so, they are good hiders," said Ducky.

"Well, let's find them," said Cera.

The four friends walked towards the watering hole but heard voices. They hid behind a bush. Mr. Threehorn and Mr. Grub were talking.

"Dad?" Cera silently whispered.

"I thank you for offering to take care of Littlefoot. He's a troublemaker that one."

"I know," said the dark green Apatosaurus. "He needs a strict parent. So, he's off?"

"He left this morning."

"Good. I heard from a flier that his dad is nearby. He'll question where Littlefoot is. We must tell him that we haven't seen him. That he must have ran off somewhere."

"Yes, of course."

"And we need a flier to make sure he doesn't return until the day after the leaves turned colors."

"Yes, Birman's making sure of it."

Littlefoot's friends gasped.

"We need to tell Littlefoot," whispered Cera.

"It seems we have some company," said Mr. Grub.

He lowered his neck and faced the kids hiding behind the shrub. Mr. Threehorn confronted them and scolded.

"Cera?"

"It seems we got some eavesdroppers."

"Where's Littlefoot?" asked Ducky.

"It's none of your business," said Mr. Grub. "Don't worry, he'll be safe. He's just proving himself to us. Now, I suggest you go play and leave grownup matters to us."

"But-"

"Cera, go!" exclaimed Mr. Threehorn.

Scared, they left Mr. Threehorn and Mr. Grub to finish their conversation.


	3. Chapter 3

Littlefoot had Kristy on his back, and Ali was following behind him to make sure the baby was safe. They had not walked to far from the Great Valley until the baby cried. Looking around, Littlefoot spotted some green leaves and walked over to them. Ali stood against the tree on her hind legs to reach the leaves and plucked off a few leaves. She walked over and gave some to the baby. Kristy stopped crying and ate happily. Littlefoot sighed.

"Good, she stopped crying. We have to be careful not to let sharpteeth know we have a baby."

Ali nodded.

"Well, we should have known better. Kristy is always hungry when she wakes up."

"We didn't eat ourselves," mentioned Littlefoot.

He set Kristy down on the ground and walked up to the tree. He was a bit bigger than Ali, so he could probably reach some more food. He bit a branch's edge and shook the branch. The vibrations caused the leaves to fall. Ali and Kristy walked over as the last leaf landed on top of the pile.

"Eat up," said Littlefoot.

Ali and he dug into the pile as Kristy ate her own smaller pile. Kristy was soon done before them and looked around. A beautiful butterfly caught her attention. She chased it, leaving Littlefoot and Ali.

Ali looked behind her to check on Kristy. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Kristy was gone. She dropped the leaves in her mouth and walked over to the small pile. She looked around and spotted Kristy not far from them.

"Kristy, get back here!"

Littlefoot looked at Ali panicking and walked up to her. He followed her eyes and spotted Kristy being distracted by a butterfly to notice she was approaching a cliff. He started to run towards her.

"Kristy, get back here!"

The butterfly flew away from Kristy's reach. She was about an inch near the cliff. As Littlefoot skidded to a stop, Kristy turned away from the cliff and walked towards Ali. The ground provided little friction, and Littlefoot fell off the cliff. Ali feared the worst and rushed over.

"Littlefoot! Littlefoot!"

"Down here."

Ali was now confident to look over and saw that there was another cliffhanging beneath her. Ali used her tail as a rope and lowered it down. Littlefoot bit it and was pulled up as he help by walking on the cliff's wall. As he made it safely up, the baby saw him. A laugh escaped from her. Littlefoot lowered his neck and stared angrily at the longneck. Kristy stopped laughing when she noted Littlefoot's angry. Littlefoot huffed and raised his head.

"C'mon. We need to go. The sooner we get to the herd, the better."

He started marching off. A little mad at him, he picked up Kristy and placed her on her back. She followed Littlefoot.

"I think it's best you don't make your foster father mad," suggested Ali.

Kristy lowered her neck in shame and rested uneasily.

* * *

><p>"It makes me so mad," said Petrie.<p>

"Why would they do that to Littlefoot?" questioned Ducky.

"They doubt his leadership. Why else?"

"It makes sense why my dad did it," said Cera.

The others faced her with disbelief.

"I mean how else would Littlefoot prove himself? My father's right: he is too young."

"That didn't stop him before," said Ducky. "I say we help."

"Me agreed."

Spike nodded.

Cera was about to agree, but something popped into her mind.

"What it that is part of the test? He gets no help from other species. Then we would cause him to fail."

As fast as hope shined, it dimmed away twice as fast.

"Me guess Littlefoot get no help from us."

"Don't worry, Petrie," said Ducky. "Ali is with him."

* * *

><p>"We follow the bright sun safely," Ali told Littlefoot once again. "We go around."<p>

"Through the cave is faster," he pointed out.

The two had been bickering for the past two minutes. Kristy had covered her ears with her paws. They had stopped in front of a cave that cut their time in half but allow predicted it wouldn't be safe for Kristy. There were two paths now: one around it and one through it.

"No. I know better."

"Yeah, like the time you led me through a shortcut and almost got us swallowed up by the sinking sands."

"You had to bring that up again. I said I was sorry."

"Think of Kristy. Who knows what dangerous creatures are in there? There is the possibility of getting stuck."

Littlefoot thought about it.

"Fine. We'll go around."

Littlefoot led the pair around the cave. Ali sighed.

"Typical," she whispered to herself.

Littlefoot stopped and looked back.

"What?" he asked irritated.

Ali walked past him.

"Men."

"What about?" he questioned as he walked beside her.

"Wait. I take that back."

Ali turned around and faced him annoyed.

"You."

She looked away from him after he said that and continued to walk. Littlefoot was now furious as ever.

"Me? What do I do?"

"You need a list? First, you get mad at Kristy crying like you never cried before. Next, you get mad at her for being so curious."

"Her curiosity almost killed me."

"Thank goodness it didn't. You've made mistakes before. Besides, she's just a baby. She doesn't know any better."

"Then we should teach it something."

Ali gasped at his rudeness and knocked his head. He flinched and looked angrily at Ali.

"What was that for?"

"I need to break that hard head of yours."

Littlefoot grunted and mumbled under his breath as they walked.

Night approached them fast. Littlefoot looked around and determined that the spot clouded by bushes was an excellent spot to rest. Littlefoot laid down and rested. Ali and Kristy rested several feet away from Littlefoot. He looked at them. Ali faced away from him. He sighed.

Dumb Kristy, thought Littlefoot. She almost killed me. He sighed. Then again, she is a baby.

As the moon crept up, Kristy got up and looked at Littlefoot. She squeezed out of Ali's grasp and walked over to Littlefoot. She nudged Littlefoot's eyelid. Littlefoot quickly felt the pain and got up. He looked down and noticed the baby longneck looking up at him.

"What do you want?" he asked, annoyed.

The longneck wagged its tail.

"No. It's not time for play. Go back to sleep with your foster mother."

Kristy did not obey. Instead, she brushed against Littlefoot's leg and looked up with pleading eyes. He sighed and rubbed her head.

"I forgive you. Now, please leave me alone."

Kristy smiled and jumped over Littlefoot's leg. He figured she wasn't going to leave him alone.

"Okay. You have my attention. What do you want?"

The little longneck ran a few inches away from Littlefoot. She looked back and urged him to follow. Littlefoot got up and yawned. He followed Kristy into the woods.

"Kristy, not that far. Come back here."

Kristy stopped. Littlefoot caught up to her and grabbed her tail with his mouth. He carried her back to the resting area.

"No. Go to sleep."

Kristy pleaded with her eyes. Littlefoot looked around and found a circular rock that was smooth and perfect for Kristy, He whipped the rock with his tail, and it rolled over to Kristy. Kristy smiled and whipped it back with ease. Littlefoot was surprised by her strength and smiled. The baby laughed since it was the first time she saw her foster father smile. They whipped the rock back and forth until Kristy was tired. She yawned. Littlefoot walked over to her, picked her up, and placed her on his back. Kristy curled up and slept. Littlefoot walked back to his spot and finally rested.

Ali woke up when the sun was climbing into the sky. She yawned and looked at where she slept. Frantically, she looked around, trying to find Kristy.

"Littlefoot, have you seen…"

What she saw was too cute to disturb. Littlefoot had Kristy sleeping on his arm. She walked over and noticed a rounded stone. She remembered this game. Her mother would give her a stone to whip her tail with. She smiled at both the memory and Littlefoot. She nudged him. He sleepily awoke.

"Mmm."

Ali rubbed his cheek.

"Thank you."

She lifted her head and waited for Littlefoot to get up. He got Kristy and placed her on his back before he stood.

"You know, she's not that bad. She's actually strong, smart, and brave."

"Hopefully she doesn't developed stubbornness," she teased.

Littlefoot chuckled,

"I'm happy that you've forgiven Kristy."

"I feel better. After all, I was a baby myself."

* * *

><p>"I checked the path up ahead. If they continue, they'll reach the longneck herd in two bright circles."<p>

Mr. Grub stomped his foot down.

"Mr. Birman, are there any herds between them?"

"A group of threehorns."

Mr. Grub was relieved.

"Good. Send a message to them. Tell them it's from Mr. Threehorn of the Great Valley."


	4. Chapter 4

Kristy marched in front of the bigger longnecks playfully. They both watched her as she jumped back and forth like an energetic dog. Littlefoot looked ahead and noticed an area with treesweets on a quarter of the trees.

"Oh boy!"

He ran up to the nearest one. He got on his hind legs and tried to reach the sweet fruit.

"Just a little more," he said.

"What are you doing?" asked Ali. "You look kind of funny."

"I'm trying to get some tree sweets."

He lost his footing against a root and fell back. Ali and Kristy laughed.

"Watch. I'll get it. Kristy."

She lowered her head in front of Kristy. She got on and was carried to the tree. Ali got on her hind legs and rested her front legs on the tree trunk. Kristy saw the treesweets near her and got on her hind legs to reach them. Unfortunately, her balance was awful, and she fell down. Littlefoot caught her in midair and set her down. She smiled at him.

"I got a better idea."

Ali got on all four legs and looked at him curiously as he positioned himself under the tree's lowest branch with four legs still on the ground.

"Ali. On my back."

Ali nodded and climbed on his back. Her head passed the branch. She bit the stems off of five fruits. They fell around the joyful Kristy. She walked off of Littlefoot and looked back. Littlefoot smiled as he walked to Kristy. She happily nibbled on one.

"She sure has a sweet tooth," he mentioned.

Ali took a bite of one, and her eyes shot wide open. She grinned happily and finished eating it. Littlefoot greedily ate the one in front of him and chowed down on the second one. Once all three longnecks were done, Kristy jumped over to the tree and looked up.

"No Kristy," said Ali. "You'll rot your teeth if you eat more."

Kristy lowered her neck and cried softly.

"Listen to her," Littlefoot said. "She knows what's best for you."

Overwhelmed by what he said, Ali nudged Littlefoot's cheek.

"Really? You mean it."

He smiled, "Yes."

Their affection was interrupted by the sound of footsteps. The three longnecks turned to see a group of threehorns come out of the woods. They were relieved that it wasn't a sharptooh, but the threehorns seemed agitated.

"Hi," said Littlefoot.

"Hush Longneck!" said the faded red-scaled leader of the small group. "What business do you have here?"

"We're just passing by."

"No longneck may pass."

"But Sir-"

"Silence wench."

"Hey, you don't call her that! You should learn how to treat a lady."

The threehorn ran up to Littlefoot and rammed him, careful to not use his horns. Littlefoot was thrown back a few feet with a bruise on his belly. Ali and Kristy ran back to check if he was alright. He slowly rose to his feet and looked at the threehorns.

"Look. I need to get through. We need to catch up to a herd."

"Then I guess you take the _long_ way," laughed the threehorn.

Littlefoot knew that they would waste two days if they went around.

"No."

"Oh, so you dare challenge me?"

"Yeah."

"Well then. The only way to settle this is with a fight. We threehorns prove to each other on who's dominant by fighting."

"F-Fighting," Littlefoot gulped.

"Yes. If you don't want to, I guess you have to take the other way back."

Littlefoot summoned enough courage to say what Ali didn't want to hear.

"I accept."

Ali gasped and went to Littlefoot's side.

"Very well," said the triceratops. "It's me and you when the sun is behind the smoke of the mountain."

Littlefoot's eyes faced the mountain the threehorn looked at. The sun was slowly rising up behind the mountain. It would take about two hours to be completely behind the volcano's smoke. Littlefoot looked back at the triceratops.

"Agreed."

"Good. We'll meet here. Don't be late."

The group of threehorns walked back to their homes. Ali looked at Littlefoot with a worried face.

"Littlefoot, it would have been safer to go around."

"But we don't have time. The quickest way is to pass this forest."

"But what if…"

"Ali, I know what you're thinking, but I'll be fine."

Kristy walked up and mumbled some baby gibberish talk.

"I'll be fine. Now, I need to think of a plan."

Littlefoot walked off to strategize. Ali plotted herself down and sighed. Kristy licked Ali's cheek for support. She looked at the baby and smiled.

"Thanks, Kristy," she said in an unhappy tone.

I hope Littlefoot knows what he is doing.

* * *

><p>The herd had made it into the valley. Cera's father confronted them and nodded his head. He looked up and noticed the dinosaur in front of him was a dark brown-scaled longneck. The longneck addressed him.<p>

"It's nice to see you again."

"Same here."

He looked around and noticed that two longnecks were missing.

"Um. Where's my son?"

"Well, Bron…er…Littlefoot-"

"He ran off somewhere," said Mr. Grub walking up towards them. "We've been trying to find them and sent our fliers, but none can find him. Him and his little girlfriend are missing."

"Missing? It can't be."

"I'm afraid it's so."

A young female longneck stood beside Bron. She had been welcomed into his herd after Littlefoot saved her life. If she hadn't met him, who knows where she would be now?

"Littlefoot's gone?"

"I'm afraid so, Little Lady. We've been searching for days, but there has been no luck."

A young male longneck walked up to his friend.

"Yasmine, what's wrong?"

"Littlefoot and Ali are missing, Rex."

The reddish brown scaled longneck looked up at Bron. His leader was in deep thought. When he finally spoke, his tone sounded determined.

"Where did they say they were going?"

"If I knew that, I would have followed them. I am truly sorry for bringing the bad news."

"I understand. My herd will rest here for a few days, and we'll go our way, if it's not too much trouble?"

"Trouble? Nah? Again, I'm deeply sorry about Littlefoot."

Mr. Grub walked off. Mr. Threehorn walked up beside him. When they were a far enough distance, he spoke to Mr. Grub.

"Are you sure that was necessary?"

"Of course. You were stuttering like a twit. I reckoned I say something to save the trouble of you making a fool of yourself."

Mr. Threehorn stopped in front of him angrily.

"A fool? Just who do you think you are?"

"Remember Mr. Threehorn. If one of us slips up, everyone will know it was a scam. I suggest if you want the plans to proceed, you better let me do the talking. Don't you want your end of the deal?"

"Yes, of course. Fine, but keep the story straight."

Mr. Threehorn walked away. Mr. Grub smirked and went back to his sleeping area.

* * *

><p>The smoke covered the sun. Littlefoot stood in his fighter's stance as the threehorn leader did the same. Ali and Kristy stood a few yards behind Littlefoot for support as two threehrons did the same with their leader. The threehorn roared and ran towards Littlefoot. Littlefoot jumped to the side and whipped him with his tail. Not feeling the pain, the threehorn swiftly turned his heard to the right, bashing Littlefoot with his hard cheek. Littlefoot was knocked against a boulder attached to the ground but quickly rose to his feet as he saw the threehorn turning around. He ran towards the tree and remembered the tick roots he tripped on. He led the threehorn towards the roots and hopped over them. Not quick enough to see, the threehorn tripped and fell on top of a bush. As he got up, he noticed Littlefoot was gone. He looked around to only receive a chipped branch with no fruit or leaves in his face. Littlefoot had grabbed the branch of a neighboring tree and pulled it back, waiting for him to be in range. The branch had blinded the leader for a few minutes. Littlefoot quickly found some vines and wrapped it securely around the leader's legs. When the leader was able to see, he looked around and saw Littlefoot in the distance. He began to run, but he immediately fell. He looked back and saw he was tied up. He sighed.<p>

"Fine. You win Longneck. I grant you passage."

"But Sir," said one of the triceratops.

"No. Let him be. This brave longneck earned it. Son, what is your name?"

"Littlefoot."

"Well, I welcome you Littlefoot."

"Thank you."

Ali, Kristy, and Littlefoot walked pass the triceratopses that were coming to free their leader. Ali looked at Littlefoot and noticed a skid wound on his back when the leader knocked him against the rock. No blood poured, but Ali was certain that he felt pain in that area every time he took a step.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. Now, we need to make it as far as we can. The herd is moving, so we need to move faster."

* * *

><p>Rex and Yasmine rested near the riverbank. They had hoped to see their old friends, but they had disappeared.<p>

"Where do you think they went off to?" wondered Rex.

"Don't know, but I got a feeling we're not being told the truth."

"You got that right."

The voice made the longnecks turn around. Both smiled when they saw Cera. They had met the yellowish threehorn, along with Littlefoot's other friends, during their stay.

"Hi, Cera," greeted Yasmine.

"What do you mean?" asked Rex. "They are hiding something from us?"

"Yeah. I overheard my dad taking to another longneck. They planned to kick Littlefoot out of the council. Littlefoot knew this was happening, even though no one told him. He and Ali found a baby, and Littlefoot decided to return it back to the longnecks whom left a couple of days after they found the baby to prove himself. The council agreed and gave Littlefoot until the time of changing leaves. We would've gone with him, but we're afraid that only his own kind can help. My Dad and Mr. Grub are making sure they stall him enough so he won't make it back in time."

"That was a mouthful," commented Rex.

"Only his kind can help?"

Cera nodded.

"Rex, we need to tell his dad and help."

"But we have to do it so that he doesn't flip out."

"Right. Cera, do you know which direction they headed?"

"The herd of the baby mentioned that they were following the sun when it is at its highest point.'

"We need to tell Bron. Thanks Cera."

The two longnecks ran to find Bron. Cera exhaled deeply, unaware of the flier who overheard her.


	5. Chapter 5

"Are you sure?"

"From what we know, he and Ali left the Great Valley to find the baby's herd," said Yasmine, a bluish Apatosaurus with hazel eyes.

"But then why would Mr. Threehorn keep it a secret?" wondered Bron.

"I think they don't want someone young to be the voice of the council," said Rex, the red brownish Apatosaurus with amber eyes said. "They're keeping it a secret."

"Kids, are you sure?"

Rex and Yasmine looked at each other and nodded back at Bron. Bron looked up into the starry sky. His only biological son was out there in the dangerous Mysterious Beyond. Ever since Shorty left the herd after finding his aunt, Bron's main focus was to reach Littlefoot and see if he was okay. He planned on taking him with the herd this time for a year to teach him everything he needed to know to survive. The news had killed those hopes and fear took over.

"Do you know which direction he went?"

"Cera said he and Ali headed towards the sun at its highest point," said Yasmine.

"That's north. You wait here and tell the herd I will be back in a few days."

"But we want to help," said Rex.

Bron shook his head.

"I can't risk losing you too. Besides, your mother will be worried about you. I'll be back. Just make sure Mr. Threehorn or that other longneck doesn't know about my disappearance."

"You mean Mr. Grub?" wondered Rex.

"Of course he does," said Yasmine. "You can count on us."

"Alright."

Bron walked off into the Mysterious Beyond to find his son. Yasmine and Rex watched as he went and sighed. They walked back to Rex's mother and cuddled up with her. They knew Bron would find Littlefoot. After all, it was his son.

* * *

><p>Littlefoot yawned as he and Ali continued to walk. After eating some more, they left the forest full of threehorns. Night had soon appeared, but they had to make up the lost time when the threehorn leader forbade them to pass. Kristy had curled up on Littlefoot's back and slept. Ali tried to keep her eyes opened as they marched, but she would doze off every now and then. Littlefoot kept his eyes and ears opened, but his brain was urging him to rest.<p>

They made it to a lake with eatable plants surrounding it. Littlefoot approached the water and dunked his head into it. The cold water refreshed his brain. All tiredness had been erased for now. Ali followed and also dipped her head into the cold water. She lifted her head and shook the water drops off.

"We still have to keep on walking?" wondered Ali.

"We need to make up the lost time."

"But we also need to sleep. I don't want to sleep during the day. It's too dangerous."

"That's true. Okay, we'll sleep here."

Excited but too tired to express it, Ali walked over to the nearby plants and laid down. Littlefoot rested next to her and closed his eyes. Ali lifted her head with her eyes closed and rested on Littlefoot's shoulders. He felt the warmth and smiled.

"Do you think we'll find her parents soon?" asked Ali with her eyes closed.

"I know we will. We can't take care of her like her parents."

"Yeah, but you know what. I think you'll be a good father."

Littlefoot's eyes widened.

"Do you really think so?"

There was no response. Littlefoot looked back and saw that Ali had fallen asleep. He smiled and rested his head on the cold ground to also rest for the walk tomorrow.

* * *

><p>Bron marched on under the dark skies. Sleepiness had vanished from his thought. New questions popped in his head to distract his normal brain commands. Why did Littlefoot take off to find the baby's herd? Why did Mr. Threehorn and this longneck keep it a secret from him? Was this all a cruel game to make sure Littlefoot wasn't the leader? As these questions revolved around his mind, anger grew more and more.<p>

Bron reached the tunnel Ali and Littlefoot had walked around. He knew that walking through the tunnel would reduce his time in his search. Without thinking of the possible dangers, he entered the large tunnel.

The tunnel was home of many rock formations caused by earthquakes. Bron had to watch his footing because the path was slightly uneven. It was probably easier for creatures with two feet to get through. He speculated Littlefoot had hopped across the ground to get to the exit.

After two minutes of walking in this dark tunnel, he found the exit. Bron quickened his pace, but he soon stopped. His senses told him danger lurked. He looked to all sides and saw nothing. Cautiously, he crept towards the exit. Out of the darkness, a raptor came flying out. Bron quickly reacted and bashed the creature with his head. The raptor got up from the ground and hissed. Five more raptors jumped out. Bron used his tail and head to attack all he could. One raptor managed to land on his back and bit into him. He crunched his teeth together and rammed himself against a wall to get the raptor off. It fell down. As it fell, the ceiling began to shake. The raptors hissed. A rock broke off from the ceiling and landed in front of them. Scared, the raptors took off. Bron quickly ran out of the cave and barely made it as the path behind him was blocked.

"The darn cowards."

He looked at his back and examined his wound. A little blood trickled down, but it would recover. He ignored the pain for now and continued his search for his son.

* * *

><p>Littlefoot woke up lazily and looked back. He noticed Ali was still asleep. He looked over her to see if Kristy was also. She wasn't there. He looked around from where he was and did not see her.<p>

"Ali. Ali."

Ali opened her eyes and yawned.

"Good morning."

"Ali, Kristy is gone."

Ali's eyes shoot wide open. She looked back to discover the baby was missing. She got up and walked around the area they slept.

"Kristy. Kristy!"

Panicked was soon replaced by fear.

"What if…"

Littlefoot walked up to her.

"Don't worry. We'll find her."

Littlefoot looked at the ground for footprints. He noticed some tiny ones that were Kristy's size. He followed them but stopped. Bigger footprints were in front of Kristy's tracks. Ali walked up to him.

"Oh dear."

"These look like longneck's tracks. I bet her family saw us sleeping and noticed Kristy. Good. She's back with her parents."

"It doesn't feel right. I mean they didn't even thank us."

"Because we were sleeping."

"I'm still worried."

"Then let's check."

Littlefoot and Ali ran, following the tracks.

After a few minutes of running, they spotted a herd of traveling longnecks not far from where they were. The walked down the sandy slope of the terrain. Littlefoot carefully walked down, but he was quickly passed by Ali who sprinted down. She tripped and tumbled all the way down. She shook her head and lifted herself up. Littlefoot met her.

"I know you're impatient, but try not to hurry yourself."

"I just have a bad feeling about this."

The two longnecks started to run again to catch up with the herd.

"But that doesn't mean you shouldn't care about your safety," Littlefoot said in-between breaths.

"Just drop it. We need to catch up with that herd."

Littlefoot and Ali sprinted as hard as they could. Some of the longnecks trailing back heard sensed something behind them and turned around. Ali and Littlefoot ran to the front and confronted the leader. He looked down angrily.

"State your business."

A female longneck looked at them. on her head was a baby longneck. Littlefoot quickly recognized it.

"Kristy!"

Kristy laughed and jumped up and down. The female longneck lowered her head to Littlefoot.

"You know this child?"

"Yes. See, we're returning her to her parents. We guess that her herd was the herd we saw a few days ago in the Great Valley."

The female longneck lifted her head and faced her husband.

"We saw a herd who mentioned they were in a luscious place called the Great Valley a few days ago."

"You have? We've been looking for them. We need Kristy back with them."

"Hold on," interrupted the leader.

He lowered his head and scanned Littlefoot. He then looked over Ali.

"It's you two. The flier mentioned that two little longnecks were out her alone with a baby. He said they had stolen the baby."

"We didn't steal anything," said Littlefoot. "We found the baby in the Great Valley. It was an egg left behind a herd by mistake."

"What kind of mother would forget about one of her eggs?"

"Probably she thought an egg stealer got it."

The leader grunted and lifted his head.

"In any case, it's too dangerous to find the herd being small yourself. You couldn't even handle a full-grown sharptooth. Maybe a fast biter, but not a sharptooth."

"I know, but I promised myself that I would get Kristy back with her folks."

"From what the flier told me, it is a test for you."

Chatter rose over the herd. The female longneck lowered her head again.

"What kind of twisted game this is? It's important to get the baby back to her herd, but for your own benefit is not right."

Littlefoot thought about it. All this time, he had been worried about losing his respect. The others in the council wanted to kick him out because of his age. He was too young to be a leader. Well, getting Kristy back to her herd was more important than passing any dumb test.

"I know what I did was wrong."

"Excuse me, but who told the flier about it?" asked Ali.

"He mentioned a longneck from the Great Valley sent him to deliver a message."

Ali and Littlefoot looked at each other and concluded, "Mr. Grub!"

"Please let me explain the whole story," said Littlefoot.

The leader nodded, and Littlefoot told his tale.

* * *

><p>"Mr. Threehorn, Cera told the young ones," reported the flier.<p>

"They were there with her. They also overheard."

"I mean the longnecks from the longneck herd."

"What?" he replied, annoyed. "Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Then that means Bron knows."

"Yes, he does."

The two dinosaurs looked in the direction where that voice came from. Mr. Grub confronted both of them.

"This is your fault."

"My fault?" wondered Mr. Threehorn.

"If you kept your daughter in line, none of this would be happening."

"Sir, sir."

The three looked up to see Mr. Birman hovering over them.

"Littlefoot caught up with the herd of longnecks I delivered the message to. His father is entering the valley with the triceratopses."

"That should slow him down," commented Mr. Threehorn.

"Like they were supposed to drive Littlefoot away," said Mr. Grub. "Obviously, the brains of this operation is all me now."

"You? Wait, we had a deal. If Littlefoot failed, I would be the only leader of the council."

"I end that deal. It's your fault that you told him only his own kind can help. It's also your fault word got out. You were never leader material. Know your place."

Ashamed, Mr. Threehorn walked off. Mr. Grub looked at the trees and sensed something. He grinned.

"Something tells me his time will be up."

* * *

><p>"I understand now," said the leader.<p>

"Oh my," said his female accomplice. "Is there any way we can help?"

"Can you tell us where the herd went?"

"They walked towards the setting of the sun," said the leader. "If you hurry, you can catch up to them. We saw them yesterday."

The female longneck picked up Kristy and placed her down in front of Littlefoot and Ali. Kristy laughed and rubbed her guardians' legs. They nudged her. Littlefoot looked up at the leader and thanked him.

"No problem. You should hurry kid. The time of the changing leaves is soon."

Littlefoot nodded, and he and Ali left with Kristy.


	6. Chapter 6

Bron was confronted the three triceratops Littlefoot met. They unwelcomed him, and two of them challenged them. Their leader stopped them.

"Why are you here Longneck?"

"I'm looking for my son."

The leader and the two triceratopses were stricken by those words. They looked at each other and faced him.

"By any chance is this son of yours is with a girl and a baby?"

Bron remembered that Rex and Yasmine told him about the two finding a baby's herd.

"Yes. Did they pass by here? Please tell me. My son is in grave danger."

"From you?" questioned a triceratops. "He better be. That son of yours beat up our leader."

The leader kicked him with his hind leg.

"What he meant to say is that-"

"That doesn't sound like my son."

"Trust me," said the other triceratops. "We know and saw what your son is capable of. I was surprised that something so small can beat up a tough guy like our leader."

The leader also kicked him with his other hind leg.

"Let me explain. Your son passed by here after he…passed our test. Yeah, that's right. We let him go after he passed our test. He said something about finding the baby's herd in the direction of the sun at its highest point."

"Do I need to pass the test to pass?"

Before his goons said anything, the leader replied, "No. You're a parent finding his son. I understand the importance. Hurry now. He only was here yesterday."

Bron thanked the leader and walked on. The leader faced his partners and sighed. They walked back to their home to catch some sleep.

* * *

><p>Ali and Littlefoot hurried along. They were close. They sensed it. They ran across the sandy hills and finally stopped on top of one hill. They saw longnecks that were resting for the night. Joyfulness circled around them as they ran down to meet the herd.<p>

One of the longnecks spotted the three longnecks running towards them. She walked over to meet them, alerting the others. The group followed her. Ali and Littlefoot stopped in front of her and looked up. The light brownish female longneck looked like Kristy. Her mate walked up and had the same blue eyes like Kristy.

"Who are you?" asked the male longneck.

Kristy smiled at them and, by instincts, walked over to the female longneck and rubbed her gigantic foot. Her maternal instinct kicked in, and she realized Kristy was her daughter.

"My baby!"

The male longneck studied his wife and this baby longneck she proclaimed to have birth. He noticed the baby had his same eyes and sensed a connection between it.

"You mean the egg that you thought an egg stealer took hatched."

Ali smiled. She knew a mother would never forget her baby; she just thought an egg stealer took it. As his wife got reacquainted with the baby, he lowered his neck to face Littlefoot and Ali. He smiled.

"You don't know how grateful we both are. My wife has been depressed ever since the egg disappeared."

"No problem, Sir," said Ali. "We had fun with Kristy along the way."

"Kristy?" wondered the female longneck. "That's funny. I was going to name her that. I like that name."

"Me too."

"Oh brother," said the two male longnecks simultaneously.

They looked at each other and blinked in shock. Littlefoot broke the short eye contact and walked up to Ali.

"We need to go," he told her.

"Oh, that's right."

They faced the two parents.

"Well, we need to go," said Ali.

"But you must stay the night as thanks," said Kristy's father.

"We wish we could, but we need to make our journey home," said Littlefoot. "Our parents are worried as well."

The parents nodded. Littlefoot and Ali turned around and started walking back. They heard a cry and stopped. Kristy's mother set her daughter on the floor. Kristy ran up to Ali and Littlefoot and looked at them with pleading eyes.

"Sorry, Kristy. We need to go, but I know we'll meet again."

Ali nuzzled Kristy. Littlefoot also lowered his neck and rubbed her forehead with his cheek. The two adolescents smiled and continued their walk back home. Kristy smiled and watched as they disappeared from her view. She smiled and ran back to her parents. Her mother picked her up and placed her on her back. Kristy curled herself up and got some rest. Her parents smiled and walked back to the spot they were resting at.

Littlefoot and Ali silently walked back. None spoke. Littlefoot looked at Ali and noticed her eyes were watery. He rubbed her cheek.

"Don't cry."

"I'll miss her. She was like my daughter."

"I know, but she's back with her parents. She's happy now. Ali, we'll see her again."

"I hope so."

"One day, you'll have kids of your own."

Ali looked at him.

"And you will too. You were a good father to her."

"Good?" he wondered.

"At the beginning, you rejected her. Why was that?"

He might as well tell her.

"You treated her like she was our baby, but she wasn't. I mean she didn't come…from us."

He said the last two sentences in a whisper. It was enough to make Ali blush. The blush faded and rubbed him.

"That's why. Because I treated her like she was our actual daughter."

Littlefoot's cheeks turned a shade of dark red.

"Well…"

Ali rested her head against his.

"I guess it's natural for a father to say that that's his son or daughter, but you couldn't fully say that. I understand now."

Ali's head remained rested against Littlefoot's cheek. He smiled but soon frowned. Up ahead, he noticed something big coming at them. The reddish tyrannosaurus roared as he charged at them. Ali and Littlefoot had no choice but to run back. The monstrous sharptooth gave chase.

As Littlefoot ran, he knew that they would lead the sharptooth back to the herd. Not only that, but it would catch up to them. He slowed down his pace and faced the sharptooth. Ali noticed that he wasn't at her side and looked back.

"Littlefoot!"

"Ali, go! I'll take care of it!"

"Just go!"

Ali could only watch in horror as Littlefoot faced the monster. The tyrannosaurus stalked his prey, knowing that it was challenging it. Littlefoot whipped its knees with his tail to keep it at bay. The tyrannosaurus felt some pain, but it wasn't enough to make him flinch. He lowered his jaws towards Littlefoot. The young longneck closed his eyes and waited for his death. He realized it never came. He opened one eye and then opened both in shock. Bron had knocked his opponent down to the floor.

"Dad."

"Stand back Littlefoot."

Bron faced the red lizard as it got up. It roared and charged at Bron. Bron kept it at a distance by whipping it with his tail. The sharptooth roared in annoyance. Bron wrapped his tail around the tyrannosaurus and knocked it down.

Littlefoot watched in amazement as the sharptooth was being beaten. He was confident his dad would make it out alive. Soon, that confidence disappeared. The fast biters Bron met were coming at him. Littlefoot knew his father couldn't handle all of them and jumped in to help.

"Littlefoot!" called Ali.

Bron noticed his son was now facing the six raptors he met. He was going to help, but the sharptooth prevented him by clawing his neck. He faced the sharptooth and head-butted it. The sharptooth did not lose its balance and roared at Bron. Bron knew that he had to deal with the sharptooth first before saving his only son.

Ali saw that Littlefoot was challenging the six raptors. He would be doomed if he fought by himself. Bron was too distracted from the sharptooth to help. She knew he would be mad, but she had to help. He rushed to his side and faced the raptors.

"Ali, don't," he said.

"I'm not going to sit around as you fight!"

The six raptors circled around them and hissed. One finally jumped at Littlefoot. He used his neck as a bat and whacked the raptor with his head. It was knocked back. The other raptors hissed and charged. Two went for Ali as three ran at Littlefoot. Ali used her tail to fend them off. She managed to keep one at a distant, but the other raptor came at her. Fortunately, Littlefoot saw this. He whacked the raptor coming down on him with his tail and ran towards the raptor about to bite into Ali. He bashed it with his skull, and it flew back with a broken rib cage. Ali looked at her savior as a raptor jumped onto his back. Its claws dug in. Littlefoot faced it and knocked it off with his head. As he did so, the raptor managed to scratch the top of his nose. The raptor was thrown off and quickly got up.

The three remaining raptors faced off the two tired longnecks. Ali got in front of the injured Littlefoot and kept the raptors away from him. Finally, one was able to bite the narrow part of her tail. Littlefoot ran up to it and used his foot to push it off. In the process, he accidently broke the raptor's jaw. It fainted in pain. The two raptors jumped high into the air. Littlefoot jumped to the side, but one of the raptors managed to slash his neck. A very slow rate of blood dropped out. The raptors smelled the blood and jumped at the weakened longneck. Littlefoot was too tried to evade. Just then, a tail batted the raptors away. Bron had defeated the sharptooth by choking it to death. He had scars on his tails to prove so. The two raptors got up and roared. They ran off defeated, leaving their teammates to die.

"The cowards. Running away from the fight."

Bron looked down at his beaten up son.

"Littlefoot, are you good."

"Don't worry, Dad. I'll live."

He looked at Ali.

"Ali, you alright?"

"Littlefoot!" she cried.

She walked up to him, despite her tired state, and rested her head against his head.

"I thought I was going to lose you. Thank you for protecting me."

"But I failed. You got hurt."

"Yeah, but because of you, I'm still alive."

Littlefoot closed his eyes and smiled. Bron smiled and remembered the moments he spent with his wife. He smiled at the memories and looked at his son. It seems he found someone to spend his life with.

"C'mon you two. We have a long walk to the Great Valley."

"Littlefoot and Ali lifted their heads away from each other, and the three walked back to the Great Valley. They followed the trail they had taken to regroup Kristy with her herd. Bron looked down at his son and was having second thoughts. He planned on taking Littlefoot with his herd, but that was pointless now. He had found someone special to him. It was only natural he remained in the Great Valley.

Ali looked at the trees and noticed some leaves had changed colors since the last time they passed through there. She looked at Littlefoot who just stared at them as they walked by.

"Littlefoot, are you upset?"

"Why?"

"Because you failed the test."

"I don't care about the test. We got Kristy back, and that's all that matters."

Ali grinned. He finally understood.

* * *

><p>Mr. Grub smiled at the first sight of the changed leaves. Littlefoot had failed the test. He would be kicked out of the council and be under his supervision. He would make sure everyday would be a nightmare for Littlefoot. Birman arrived to deliver his final message.<p>

"They're back. Littlefoot, Ali, and Bron are back. Kristy is back with her parents."

"It doesn't matter. He failed. Look. The leaves changed color."

Mr. Grub walked towards Littlefoot. Dinosaurs circled around them. Mr. Grub made it through the crowd and saw that the arrivers were all injured.

"What happened to you?"

"Well, we were attacked by a sharptooth and six fast biters."

Everyone was impressed by this.

"You should have seen it," said Bron. ""My son took on the six raptors and eventually drove them off. If he hadn't, I would have been done for."

"Me too," said Ali. "He protected me, and I owe him my life."

"Wait," said Mr. Grub. "You were late because of that?"

Littlefoot nodded. Again, talk rose among the dinosaurs. They faced Littlefoot. Mr. Threehorn confronted the longneck.

"Littlefoot, I'm ashamed to ever have let you go."

"It's okay. I needed to. We got Kristy back with her parents, and now she's happy. That's all that matter. I don't even care if I failed the test."

All the dinosaurs of the council, except for Mr. Grub, lowered their heads in shame as it was their fault that they suggested him to take on the task of returning the baby longneck to her herd. Mr. Threehorn looked up.

"We…apologized…for this."

"I forgive all of you. I'm just glad everything turned out for the best."

Mr. Thicknose walked up to him.

"And it should. Littlefoot, I see no reason why we should dismiss you from the council. You have displayed bravery, strength, and compassion throughout the years. These are all traits that make a fine leader. We shouldn't be ashamed of you; we should be proud for having a leader of your stature. Littlefoot, welcome back."

The dinosaurs agreed. Even Mr. Threehorn nodded. Mr. Grub walked away. Littlefoot noticed this.

"Mr. Grub," he called. "We had some issues with longnecks and threehorns along the way, and I can't help that you and Mr. Threehorn were part of it."

Both looked at him.

"I also saw Mr. Birman," he continued. "You all planned to stop me."

The dinosaurs looked at the three Littlefoot mentioned. Mr. Threehorn tried to come up with a reason, but he couldn't.

"It's true," Mr. Threehorn said.

"How could you?" questioned Mama Swimmer.

"Well…I…"

"Don't worry Mr. Threehorn," said Littlefoot. "I forgive you, because the true plans behind the operation came from Mr. Grub."

"Why do you assume it's him?" asked Pterano.

"No offense, but Mr. Threehorn is too much of a hot head to come up with brilliant ideas. Even though, he was the one that agitated the threehorns, he was told by Mr. Grub on what he should say."

Mr. Threehorn wanted to shout back, but he kept it in. He didn't want to get into more trouble. Besides, Littlefoot was right. Mr. Grub had instructed him on what he should tell the threehorns.

Everyone faced Mr. Grub in annoyance. Mr. Grub calmly looked at Littlefoot with a sneer. Littlefoot walked up to Mr. Grub.

"I don't know why you hate me so much, but you should be punished by the perils I endured."

The dinosaurs all nodded in agreement. Mr. Grub looked down at Littlefoot.

"So what? We all envy you."

"But not like you. I banish you from the Great Valley until death. All in favor?"

"I," said all the dinosaurs.

Mr. Grub looked at them before looking down at Littlefoot.

"You can't do that."

"I just did. Mr. Grub, you will leave first thing tomorrow morning. We'll make sure of that."

"Fine. It's better than being under you."

He walked away with his dignity erased. The other dinosaurs walked away to get some rest. Littlefoot and Ali joined Bron's friends as the sun went behind the mountains.

* * *

><p>"Dad, is it already time for you to go?" asked Littlefoot.<p>

"I'm afraid so."

A couple of days had passed since Mr. Grub left the Great Valley for good. During the time, Rex, Yasmine, Littlefoot, and Ali got reacquainted. They hanged out together with Cera, Ducky, Petrie, and Spike. Soon, the fun times ended when Bron mentioned they would leave the next day.

"When are you coming back?"

"I don't know," said Bron, "but I'll be back. Trust me."

"Bye Littlefoot," said Yasmine. "Bye Ali."

"Take care of yourselves," said Ali.

"We will," assured Rex.

The two longnecks ran back to Rex's mother.

"I'll see you soon, Dad. Thanks for all your help."

"I should be thanking you son. I am so proud of you."

He lowered his head and rubbed his son's head. Littlefoot did the same. Bron lifted his head and looked into his son's eyes. He nodded and walked off. In the distant, he called back.

"The next time I'm here, I expect grandkids," he joked.

Littlefoot and Ali faced each other and turned tomato red. They nuzzled each other and walked back to the hot mud puddles to relax.

* * *

><p>"So that's how I became the leader of the Great Valley," concluded Littlefoot.<p>

"Wow!" the kids in front of him said.

They were seated around the small crack in the ground that provided smoke to rise through from the lava underneath. It was the prehistoric version of a campfire.

"That's a good story," commented the dark yellowish triceratops with blue eyes named Diana.

"That's so cool," said a light brownish Apatosaurus with green eyes named Gladys.

"Dad, that was a good story," said a dark brownish Apatosaurus with lightly dark reddish eyes.

"Yes. I like that story too, Cloud."

"Littlefoot."

That voice smoothed and frightened him at the same time. He looked to his left side and saw his wife coming. Even after several years, she was the only one who called her that. Everyone else called him Ricky, but she preferred his original name. She said that she loved his name as much as she loved him. His wife confronted him.

"What story were you telling the young ones?"

"About the time you and him returned Kristy to her parents," said Gladys.

She eyed him.

"Did you leave out the fighting parts?"

"Um… They might have…slipped out."

Ali shook her head.

"Well, it's late. Time for young ones to go to sleep."

The young ones moaned, but they knew she was right. The triceratops, the two swimmers, the two fliers, and the spiketail said their goodbyes and left to their nest. Cloud and Gladys left with their parents.

"Dad, I want to grow up to be like you."

Littlefoot smiled.

"You will, my son."

He looked at his wife.

"Ali, isn't your mother stopping by soon?"

"She said after the flowers bloom. She'll probably be here tomorrow. That's why we need to make sure the young ones are rested."

Littlefoot yawned. Ali noticed it and chuckled.

"Even you, my Dear."

Littlefoot smiled. His family walked back to the nest. Cloud and Gladys snuggled together against their parents for warmth and drifted to sleep. Ali nuzzled her husband goodnight, and Littlefoot returned the affection. He rested his head close to hers and finally went to sleep.


End file.
